Fire Rated Structural Deck Movement Joints for the Replacement MSCP at Luton Airport T-2

Tue, Jul 7, 2026 9:48 AM

In October 2023 the devastating fire at London Luton Airport (LLA), the UK's fifth busiest airport, destroyed the Terminal 2 Multi-Storey Car Park, as well as the nearly 1500 cars that were parked inside.Although the fire started in just one car, it was unfortunately able to spread, and the devastation it caused clearly demonstrates the importance of adequate and effective fire control systems, both passive and active. Fire safety was therefore also central for the new replacement multi-storey car park, which was designed and built featuring advanced passive and fire-suppressant systems throughout. The new facility is a ground plus 4-storey building, with a structural steel frame and composite decks, which provides spaces for more than 1900 cars.

NCC Movement Joints (NCC-MJ) were brought in as the specialists in fire resistant movement joints to help BAM and their professional design team, to ensure continuation of the vital passive fire protection across and through the wide, high movement capability, structural expansion movement joints in the car park decks. This was essential for continuity of the project’s fire compartmentalisation strategy, which is to secure routes of egress and ensure that the occupants and infrastructure are protected for as long as possible, by effectively stopping or slowing the spread of fire and smoke between different parts of a structure.

These wide structural expansion movement joints also had other important demands, including watertight sealing to prevent water ingress to the structure, whilst continuously accommodating the anticipated high movement from the frequent loading and unloading of the decks, as well as the expansion and contraction from daily and seasonal thermal cycles.

NCC-MJ proposed a well proven Emseal solution using Emshield DFR/WFR CE as the most suitable, most effective movement joint system for the car park deck joints. This is certified to both EN 1366-4 and UL 2079, and CE marked with European Technical Assessment (ETA) as a Fire Rated Movement Joint, plus it allows 100% joint movement (+/- 50%) and is fast and cost-effective to install.It is also watertight by design and provides excellent thermal and acoustic insulation, with the major site advantage of being installed from one side only, and as it is fully structurally bonded, requires no potentially damaging mechanical fixings into the structure.

The Emshield DFR/WFR CE system was quickly and easily installed on the new Luton Airport Car Park, starting in August 2025 and completed well ahead of the on-schedule opening in September 2025.

There are many different applications and uses for the Emshield DFR/WFR CE system in many different buildings and structures in addition to multi-story car parks, including any building or structure where fire protection and integrity is a concern. NCC-MJ provide technical support and advice on the complete Emseal range of high-performance, fire rated movement joint systems with approvals and certifications to UL, EN1366 and CE marked ETA standards for: